For a show about a superhero lawyer, She-Hulk hasn’t done that much to clear up how the law works for superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Does Bruce Banner have to pay for property damages? Did Steve Rogers get a senior citizen’s discount? We have no idea, but She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 8 does put one major legal question to rest.
Minor spoilers ahead for She-Hulk Episode 8.
Sokovia Accords repealed?
In She-Hulk Episode 8, Jennifer Walters finally meets her match... in court at least. After being forced to take on a client who’s suing the guy who makes She-Hulk’s custom clothing, she winds up in court facing off against none other than Matt Murdock (aka, Daredevil). But when we first meet the “Man Without Fear” he’s dressed in a business suit and practicing the law.
A brief courtroom scene mostly focuses on whether or not She-Hulk’s request for a full list of her tailor’s customers should be honored. (The case hinges on whether he’s been selling faulty super-suits, but it hardly matters here.) Walters argues that getting this list is paramount to the case and that there’s no such thing as patient-tailor confidentiality.
However, Murdock responds that because his client is making suits for superheroes (some anonymous), the information should be withheld for the safety of those heroes and their families. He then adds that “the Sokovia Accords were repealed,” which seems to clinch his argument. But what does that actually mean?
What are the Sokovia Accords in the MCU?
Introduced in Marvel’s third Captain America movie in response to the destruction caused by the Avengers in Age of Ultron, the Sokovia Accords were a set of laws that would have put the Avengers (and superheroes in general) under the control of the United Nations. When the Accords were suggested, it created a rift between the Avengers, with Captain America and several others refusing to sign.
We all know how that movie ends, but it’s been unclear ever since whether the Sokovia Accords are still in place. The Avengers were seemingly reunited in Avengers: Endgame to keep the peace during the Blip. But it was never specified whether that happened within the framework of the Accords.
Now we have an answer. The Sokovia Accords are no more. We still don’t know exactly why (or when) but we assume they were repealed during Avengers: Endgame when the world needed superheroes more than it needed to control them. That means She-Hulk doesn’t need to answer to some shady multi-governmental agency (though she’s got a shady secret society to deal with instead). It also means that when the Avengers finally assemble again, they can do it without worrying about what the UN thinks.
She-Hulk is streaming now on Disney+.
